This is a treat for those who like primitive, cheap, early and original sci-fi films and general genre cinema: 'The Man from Planet X' is admirable in many respects but, sadly, abominable in others.
A wonderfully silly, frankly outrageous, story is given a marvelous treatment and nicely developed staging on a minor budget.
The sets, atmospherically presented and photographed, the oddball alien designs and the sound design all add good value to this film. Also aided by clipped and precise direction which extracts some movement and energy from the threadbare production budget and dreadfully written characters.
The story is a nice, different, and strangely creepy idea of an unexpected rapidly approaching planet and it's lonesome scout scuttling around on a desolate Scottish island on the edge of the British Isles. The early interactions between mankind and this invader are worth the effort to watch.
Regrettably the issue that bedevils 'The Man from Planet X' is it's characters, dialogue, acting and accents! There is almost nothing complementary to say here about any of it. Which is a shame because this little film, on a tiny budget and production, needs much better from its characters to succeed.
It doesn't get it though and the characters remain unbelievable and inexplicable whilst spouting dire dialogue in atrocious accents.
I rate a 5/10; for this film has a lot of little credits to it's name and I recommend to keen fans of 50's stuff and science fiction fans looking for an unusual effort.
A wonderfully silly, frankly outrageous, story is given a marvelous treatment and nicely developed staging on a minor budget.
The sets, atmospherically presented and photographed, the oddball alien designs and the sound design all add good value to this film. Also aided by clipped and precise direction which extracts some movement and energy from the threadbare production budget and dreadfully written characters.
The story is a nice, different, and strangely creepy idea of an unexpected rapidly approaching planet and it's lonesome scout scuttling around on a desolate Scottish island on the edge of the British Isles. The early interactions between mankind and this invader are worth the effort to watch.
Regrettably the issue that bedevils 'The Man from Planet X' is it's characters, dialogue, acting and accents! There is almost nothing complementary to say here about any of it. Which is a shame because this little film, on a tiny budget and production, needs much better from its characters to succeed.
It doesn't get it though and the characters remain unbelievable and inexplicable whilst spouting dire dialogue in atrocious accents.
I rate a 5/10; for this film has a lot of little credits to it's name and I recommend to keen fans of 50's stuff and science fiction fans looking for an unusual effort.